Tuesday, May 16, 1893
Annie and Sophia had become fast friends in the short time since they’d met, and had established a standing dinner date. Sometimes Frank or Cody joined them but, most nights, the two women ate alone. They had found an Italian restaurant they adored at the west end of the Midway. After a few visits to Cucina di Mamma, the restaurant staff asked Annie for her permission to advertise her patronage.
Her celebrity brought many people into the restaurant, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous woman or get a chance to meet her. The owner, Mamma Aquila herself, often stopped by to talk to them as they ate their desserts. She seemed very fond of the younger women, and called them her nipotinas, Italian for nieces.
Annie gladly entertained fans who stopped by the table, as did Frank and Cody during their visits. At first, Sophia’s proximity to the center of attention overwhelmed her, but she gradually grew accustomed to it.
This particular night though, Annie felt the urge for some privacy, so they sat in one of the booths at the back of the room with privacy curtains.
After they settled into the booth, Annie noticed Sophia’s mischievous smile.
“What is it, Sophia?” Annie asked.
“Mister Jameson gave me a box of imported chocolates. All the way from Switzerland.” Sophia pulled a small box from her pocket and set it on the table between them. Several chocolates fit snuggly inside. Sophia and Mister Jameson, the owner of the candy shop adjacent to Holmes’s pharmacy, shared a mutual passion for board games, especially Round the World with Nellie Bly, and had grown rather close.
They talked as they nibbled their way through the delicious chocolates. Annie asked Sophia, “So, how are things at the pharmacy?”
“Oh, very well. I enjoy the work a lot. Holmes is a pleasure to work with, and he’s a very charming man. He is rather flirtatious, but never improper. I can’t say the same for his friend Mister Pietzel.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Benjamin Pietzel. Apparently, he was the foreman who oversaw the building of The Castle. He’s a very rough mannered man. He reminds me of an itinerant farm hand my father hired when I was about thirteen. Turned out, he only took the job on our farm as an excuse to be near town so he could plan a bank robbery.
“I don’t know what Doctor Holmes sees in Pietzel, but they seem fast friends. When Pietzel visits, the two of them usually retreat to Doctor Holmes’s apartment to speak in private. Pietzel hasn’t done anything completely out of line toward me, but he has made some very lewd comments about women within my hearing, and I don’t like him very much.”
“Listen to your instincts, Sophia. Some people in this world are not people. They’re wolves. Predators who only pretend to be human. They can be very dangerous. Promise me you’ll never allow yourself to be alone with this Pietzel.”
“I promise, Annie.”
They continued eating, and their conversation turned toward lighter subjects. Sophia said, “A few months ago I was working as a seamstress in Dayton. Saving money for my trip here, in fact. One day, on my way to work, my bicycle chain broke. I had to walk the bicycle nearly a mile and was late to work. I was only thirty minutes late, but the shop owner docked me half a day’s pay. Since I was only getting paid for half a day, I decided to only work half a day.”
Annie laughed quietly. “You surprise me, Sophia. You seem like such a quiet, reserved young lady who would never rock the boat. But then you do something or, in this case, tell me something you’ve done, and I’m reminded how strong and capable you really are. Few women I know would have been so bold. They would have been upset, but would have worked through the whole day.”
Sophia blushed and shook her head.
Annie continued, “I mean it. Few women, of any age, would have done what you did to get here. You worked and saved your money for months. Then you, a single woman, traveling alone, boarded a train and came to Chicago to follow a dream. Your actions exhibit the very soul of bravery, and I admire you for it.”
Sophia laughed quietly, bemused. “Look at you! You were only fifteen when you entered a shooting contest against a well-established marksman. You not only beat him, but wound up marrying him and earning top billing in your shows. You went on to become one of the most famous sharpshooters in the world. Now, he’s your assistant and press manager and rarely performs himself. You were fifteen! The soul of bravery indeed. What I did pales in comparison.”
Annie shook her head. “Not at all. I was playing to my strengths. I knew I was good at shooting. Always have been. I knew I could beat him. My actions didn’t require any special bravery.”
Sophia sat for a moment, a bit taken aback by this perspective. She’d never considered her own actions to be significant or special. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then, in a teasing tone, said, “I’m afraid you’ve derailed the story I was telling.”
Annie laughed out loud and, reaching across the table, patted Sophia’s arm affectionately. “I am terribly sorry, dear. Please continue.”
“Where was I?”
“You left work early.”
“Right. I left work early and took my bicycle to a repair shop called Wright Cycle Exchange. It had recently opened near the sewing shop. The owners were fascinating. They were brothers. Orville and Wilbur were their names. While they repaired my bicycle, they told me about their plans to build a flying machine.”
Annie’s eyes went wide with surprise. “A flying machine! Surely it was a joke of some sort? I heard some preposterous and funny stories in Europe about people who had tried such things. They all failed, often spectacularly. I have heard of many successful gliders, and there have been some promising dirigible efforts, but a true flying machine? According to many people more educated than I, it is simply not possible. It defies the laws of nature.”
Sophia laughed. “I thought so too, but they spoke very passionately about it. I doubt it will ever be more than a fantastic dream, but their excitement about the topic was rather infectious, I must say. When I get back to Dayton, I will stop by their shop again and ask about their progress. Then I’ll write to you with an update.”
Annie laughed. “I would enjoy reading your letters a great deal. Speaking of Dayton, will you go back to the seamstress job? Or do have something else in mind?”
“I doubt I’ll go back to being a seamstress. As I said, I was just saving money for this trip and, since I quit to come here, I doubt they would trust me if I went back. I have enjoyed working in the pharmacy here. Maybe I will find similar work there.”
She paused a moment and an excited expression bloomed on her face.
“I haven’t told you yet! You know the jeweler next door to the pharmacy?”
With a bob of her head, Annie indicated she did.
“Well, I found the most adorable set of earrings for sale there. Normally they would be well outside my price range, but there is a minor flaw, not even noticeable to the naked eye, in one of the stones, so they were marked down considerably. The jeweler set them aside for me, and I’ve been paying him each week from my earnings. I plan to give the earrings to my mother as a gift upon returning home.”
“What a great idea. I’m sure she’ll love them.”
“I’ll pick them up on my last day in Chicago so I’m less likely to lose them in my luggage or forget them somewhere.”
They continued chatting through their meal, making plans for Saturday to attend the World’s Congress of Representative Women at the fair, and hear Susan B. Anthony, among others, speak about Women’s Suffrage. Their friendship grew yet stronger as they discovered more and more common interests.